The Grass Menagerie

March 04, 2012

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Photo By: Photo by Ron Whitten

Photo By: Photo by Tim Powers

Photo By: Photo by Ron Whitten

Photo By: Photo by Stephen Szurlej

Photo By: Photo By Stephen Szurlej

There are many reasons why Tim Powers, the certified golf course superintendent at Crystal Springs G. Cse. in Burlingame, Calif. (south of San Francisco), earned the top honor in the 2011 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards, the annual program co-sponsored by Golf Digest and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, in partnership with Rain Bird and Syngenta corporations. Powers runs a lean fertilization and pesticide program on a lean maintenance budget and he prevents any runoff into the three reservoirs below his golf course. The reservoirs are the main source of drinking water for San Francisco.

Photo By: Photo by Ron Whitten

He also educates golfers on the environmental virtues of his daily-fee layout, which has operated within a 32,000-acre wildlife refuge since its inception in 1924.

Photo By: Photo by Ron Whitten

But the most obvious reason for the award is the variety of wildlife encountered when playing a round at Crystal Springs. There are birds, reptiles, bobcat, coyotes, bear and, especially, deer. So much wildlife that, in his 10-years as superintendent at the course, Powers has captured many an animal with the camera he routinely carries with him. What follows are photos taken by Powers while on the job, along with his commentary.

"When they changed the irrigation system before I got here," Powers says, "irrigated turf went from 90 acres to 75. They let areas in between the tees and fairways go natural. So I started planting those areas with native grasses like brome, barley, wild rice and fescue."

"We now have wildlife corridors that provide cover and a food source. It looks gorgeous when it's brown and blowing in the wind, as long as you're not looking for your golf ball."

Photo By: Photo by Tim Powers

"We have bird boxes all over. I bet we have over a hundred species of birds, everything. Quail, herons, hummingbirds, owls, hawks. The hummingbirds are very small. We have birders come out here with their binoculars. One guy spotted a Red Naped sapsucker. I guess that's very unusual for the area. Then other people he knew came out later on looking for the same bird."

Photo By: Photo by Tim Powers

"We've erected four raptor perches. Some people call them dead trees. We moved them from other areas on the course and planted them in holes in the ground. They're put up on purpose with brush piles around them where mice will nest. We have mostly redtail hawks. We've had two baby hawks born this year."

Photo By: Photo by Tim Powers

"This is one of my favorite pictures. I took it standing right beneath a raptor perch. I was underneath there for at least 15 minutes trying to get the perfect shot."

Photo By: Photo by Tim Powers

"My first couple of years, we had a gopher problem. Over the years we've gotten rid of probably 1,500 gophers. We don't use any chemicals. We trap them. But you know what gets most of them? Coyotes and hawks. One member once saw a hawk swoop down and pull up a gopher, trap and all."

Photo By: Photo by Tim Powers

"There's a couple of rattlesnakes out here," Powers says. "I took this last July 4th on the left side of the fifth hole. I wasn't real comfortable taking the picture. I had to stand right over it. But the thing never moved, so it must have just eaten."

Photo By: Photo by Tim Powers

"The deer are used to people being around. Except when the mother deer are pregnant, you can get within 10 or 15 feet from them. Even when the mothers are feeding, they don't seem to mind. I see golfers out on the course with cameras all the time."

Photo By: Photo by Tim Powers

Photography is not the only passion for the 51-year-old Powers. A lifelong hockey buff who grew up on Long Island (he attended the University of Maine and the Turf School at the University of Massachusetts), he also works as an off-ice official for the National Hockey League. And he collects sports memorabilia. The walls of his office and hallways are covered with photos, plaques and golf flags, all autographed by superstars of hockey and golf. He has collected most of the autographs himself.

Photo By: Photo by Ron Whitten

2011 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards

__Overall winner:__Tim Powers, CGCS, Crystal Springs G. Cse., Burlingame, Calif. (13th hole shown)

Photo By: Photo by Ron Whitten

2011 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards

National Private: Thomas Brodeur, TPC Boston (18th hole shown), Norton, Mass.

Photo By: Photo by Stephen Szurlej

2011 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards

National Resort: Thomas Lively, TPC San Antonio, Texas

2011 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards

International: Stephen Marsden, Cape Kidnappers G.C., Havelock, New Zealand

Photo By: Photo By Stephen Szurlej

Valspar Championship

The Grass Menagerie

Shop This Look

2011 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards

2011 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards

2011 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards

2011 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards

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